Syrian regime attacks in Idlib cause biggest migration wave since start of civil war


The recent regime attacks in Idlib triggered the biggest wave of migration since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, an international refugee rights foundation said.

A report released by the Washington, D.C. based Refugees International underlined that the Bashar Assad regime's indiscriminate and continuous attacks targeting Idlib in recent months led to the biggest migration wave since the beginning of the Syrian civil war and added that thousands of more Syrian refugees may come to Turkey from Idlib.

The report also called on Western countries to provide aid funds and Turkey to build new refugee camps in the northern Syria. Stating that nearly 500,000 people were displaced due to the regime attacks, the report said almost two-thirds of the civilian population in Idlib survived thanks to humanitarian aid provided.

"There is an ongoing humanitarian nightmare in Idlib," it added.

Explaining the ongoing situation in Idlib, the report said, "The Syrian regime backed by Russia has conducted a cruel attack, which has become one of the bloodiest episodes of the Syrian war, to capture the last bastion of the opposition. As a result of these attacks, numerous civilians lost their lives or had to migrate."

"In the last three months, more than 500 civilians died and thousands got injured due to the regime and Russia's indiscriminate airstrikes. What is more concerning is that vital civilian infrastructure including hospitals and schools were intentionally targeted in airstrikes conducted by Russia and the Syrian regime," it added.

The report also touched on Turkey's concerns due to a possible migration wave and said: "Turkey, which already hosts 3.5 million Syrians, is very concerned about the possible consequences of these attacks. The latest escalation of attacks may cause tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to request refuge from Turkey."